I extend my greetings with best wishes for all people of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to enjoy auspiciousness.
Since the United Nations General Assembly set
26 June as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
(the World Drug Day), all countries worldwide have been observing the ceremony
to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to
eradicate drug abuse and enhance cooperation, and this year’s ceremony is the
38th time.
The
issue of narcotic drugs is not limited to a single country, region, or ethnic
group; rather, it is a serious threat facing all of humanity around the world.
Drug production, use and trafficking are deeply connected with transnational
crimes, corruption, money laundering, arms smuggling and terror acts,
undermining peace and stability, the rule of law and security of the State.
Drug addictions seriously harm physical and mental health, as well as cause the
number of criminal cases rise.
Growing poppy and heroin production were a
major issue for Myanmar in the past. Currently, the country has been facing
challenges of synthetic drug production, trafficking and trading similar to
other countries across the world. On the other hand, the number of sown acres
of poppy rises in the areas controlled by ethnic armed groups again. As
synthetic drugs can be produced anywhere, the 2024 United Nations World Drug
Report mentioned that production of these drugs is increasingly taking place in
regions with administrative challenges and instability.
In Myanmar, it is visible that some ethnic
armed organizations engage in drug production and trafficking to easily earn
income by taking advantage of the lack of peace and stability. Although
precursor chemicals and related accessories used in drug production cannot be
produced in Myanmar, they can enter Myanmar easily and illegally through the
border regions. As the majority of produced drugs are trafficked to regional
countries and highly-demanded countries through border regions, Myanmar is
facing challenges in conducting prevention and suppression against drug
trafficking.
Systematic operation of administrative
machinery, the rule of law and peace and stability play key roles in resolving
drug problems. In this regard, the cooperation and participation of residents
and ethnic organizations are of great importance in this issue. Currently, the
government has signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with ethnic
armed organizations to ensure peace and stability, and the development of the
nation by holding political dialogues with utmost efforts to restore durable
peace.
Myanmar is combatting the danger of narcotic
drugs as a national duty. So, the country officially issued the National Drug
Control Policy, which includes a comprehensive and balanced approach in accord
with the recommendations of the 30th Special Session of the United Nations
General Assembly on the World Drug Problem, on 20 February 2018. Moreover, the
National Drug Control Strategic Plan has been released to implement this
policy. In addition, relevant regions and states have formulated and are
implementing the action plan suitable for their regions.
Drug
Laws of Myanmar have been reviewed to ensure these must conform to the current
era, and the amendment to the 1993 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Law was enacted on 14 February 2018. Similarly, the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances Rule was amended on 30 December 2024.
Myanmar initially formed the Central Committee
for Drug Abuse Control in 1976, and it was reconstituted with 19 members to
implement 21 work functions under Notification 37/2024 issued by the State
Administration Council. In order to accelerate prevention and control measures,
the Drug Enforcement Division under the Myanmar Police Force was extended with
11 subdivisions and 71 task forces equipped with modern searching accessories.
The government has been carrying out
development undertakings in poppy-cultivating areas by spending a large sum of
budget yearly. The Management Committee for the Implementation of Alternative
Development is separately carrying out the second phase of a five-year pilot
project from 2024-2025 to 2028-2029 in 65 villages in Hopong and Hsihseng
townships, Shan State (South). The project covers various sectors including
agriculture, livestock breeding, education, healthcare, access to water, roads
and bridges, electricity supply, livelihood development, religious affairs,
communications, public awareness, trade, and microfinance activities.
In
collaboration with the UNODC, special development projects are being
implemented in Hopong and Loilem townships in Shan State (South), including the
establishment of alternative forest plantations to replace poppy plantations,
as well as the cultivation of coffee and tea. The coffee produced from these
regions is being exported internationally — a total of 156.72 tonnes in 2023
and 153.36 tonnes in 2024 were successfully exported to France. Likewise, in
cooperation with Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB),
alternative development projects are also being implemented in the Taungtaya
area of Pinlaung Township in Shan State (South). Starting this year, 9.7 tonnes
of dried coffee beans have already been harvested from that region.
The
Crop Substitution Cultivation Committee, utilizing the annual allocated budget
from the government, implemented yearly distribution of seeds, distribution and
cultivation of perennial saplings, provision of fertilizers and pesticides,
cultivation of crops on annual model plots, expansion of sown acreage for
crops, and conducting agricultural technique training in 56 townships where
drug eradication projects are being carried out. During the 2024-2025 financial
year, the government spent K47,350.28 million on these activities.
In
the 2024-25 financial year, K51.734 million from the Union budget allocated to
the projects of the livestock sector was spent on providing chickens and pigs
to the drug-eradicated project townships in Sagaing Region with holding talk
shows supporting the livestock sector and conducting training courses and
apiculture courses. Moreover, K14.6 million of Shan State budget was spent on
staging the talks to raise public awareness about livestock breeding,
conducting livelihood courses and distributing animals to villages of Hopong
Township in Pa-O Self-Adminstered Zone, Shan State (South), in 2024-25
financial year as part of implementing the second phase of the pilot project.
Myanmar
regards drug addiction as a public health issue and has been providing services
such as HIV testing, screening for Hepatitis B and C, and diagnosis and
treatment of sexually transmitted infections. In 2024, a total of 26,964
drug-dependent patients received treatment at 29 major drug treatment centres,
56 sub-centres, 36 methadone clinics, and three buprenorphine clinics.
A
total of 14 camp-based and community-based rehabilitation stations have been
established for already treated drug addicts to rejoin a better social life.
These camps provide physical and mental rehabilitation, vocational training and
follow-up healthcare services to the former drug addicts.
As
a proactive measure to prevent drug abuse among students, comprehensive
programmes have been carried out widely across universities, degree colleges,
education degree colleges, basic education schools, and boarding schools. These
activities included drug-awareness seminars, exhibitions, competitions, and
youth forums, as well as the distribution of pamphlets and the installation of
billboards to establish drug-free zones. In addition, the Myanmar
Anti-Narcotics Association, various non-governmental organizations, and members
of the Drug Enforcement Division of MPF have been working in conducting
drug-risk prevention talks, distributing educational leaflets at basic
education schools and universities at the regional and state levels.
To enable entire people to widely know and
avoid danger of narcotic drugs, five organizations such as the Department of
Information and Public Relations, the Myanmar Radio and Television, the News
and Periodicals Enterprise, the Department of Printing and Publishing and the
Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare are raising public
awareness about danger of narcotic drugs through information programmes of
media — radio and TV, talk shows, short dramas, newspapers, journals, articles,
paintings, cartoons and posters.
The
government managed 40 special operations eradicating narcotic drugs from 2013
to 2024. In 2024, a total of 7,828 suspects from 5,593 drug-related cases were
seized along with narcotic drugs worth more than K1,163 billion. Poppy planted
areas were exposed, and poppy plantations were destroyed. In the 2024-25 poppy
cultivation season, a total of 4,734.5 acres of poppy plantations were
destroyed.
To
reduce drug production, 43 types of chemical substances used in drug
manufacturing have been strictly regulated. The Supervisory Committee for
Prohibited Chemicals is actively overseeing measures to prevent these
prohibited chemicals from being illegally imported into the country or diverted
to drug production sites. The Committee is supervising the import of prohibited
chemicals through the Pre-Export Notification (PEN) system and non-prohibited
chemicals, the PEN Online Light system, in order to prevent abuse of these
materials.
Although enforcement operations have achieved
success, effective penalties must be imposed on key offenders who are
apprehended. Moreover, to prevent reoffending after release, assets gained from
criminal activities are being further investigated under the Anti-Money
Laundering Law and confiscated as public property, with decisive actions being
taken accordingly.
Seized narcotic drugs, chemical substances,
and related materials are destroyed annually on 26 June, when the International
Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed. On 26 June 2024,
narcotic drugs, precursor chemicals, and related materials worth over K1,163
billion (equivalent to more than US$349 million) were successfully destroyed in
Yangon, Mandalay, and Taunggyi.
Myanmar
is cooperating with ASEAN member States, Greater Mekong Sub-Region countries,
BIMSTEC member States, and neighbouring countries in preventive activities
against narcotic drugs. Moreover, Myanmar enhances close cooperation with the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Australian Federal Police
(AFP), the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the National
Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) of China, and the Office of the Narcotics
Control Board (ONCB) of Thailand.
This
year, marking the 38th International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking, all countries have to emphasize taking serious action guided by
the slogans provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),
which are: “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention” and “Break the cycle.
#StopOrganizedCrime”.
The
government is striving to ensure equitable development of education,
healthcare, social and economic sectors and overall development for the people,
in addition to preventing the danger of narcotic drugs, which threaten
socioeconomic security and peace and tranquillity of the entire people. The
entire ethnic people have to participate in this measure in unison to
effectively eradicate the danger of narcotic drugs for ensuring the safety of
public life under situations of peace and stability and the rule of law, while
joining hands with one another in building the future State.
#TheGlobalNewLightOfMyanmar
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